Morning journal and courier., 1887-05-21
RECLAIMED MARSHES.
Their Conversion Into Arabic Farm ing Lands-A Gain of From Fifteen Hundred to Two Thousand Acres.

ing Lands-A Gain of From Fifteen
 Hundred to Two Thousand Acres.
 Captain Charles H. Townshend, of this city, during his recent visit abroad was one of party of invited guests who paid a visit to | Holkham, Norfolk, England, to investigate | the subject of diking and witness the won- derful results accomplished on the Earl of | Leicester's estates in retaining marsh lands | and converting them into productive real es- tate and arabic farming lands. Captain | Townshend was visiting at Raynham, Nor | folk, when the subject of making up the | party was preached. He was most courte- | ously received by the Earl of Leicester, and one of the most pleasant of the many pleas ant recollections of his trip abroad was his reception and the Inequalities shown by the noble Earl. The following, being an account of 1.-The Land Surveyors club's'' visit to Holkham July 4, 1884, will afford interest ing evidence of what had been accomplished:
 The home portion of the Holkham estate comprises about 20, 900 acres in the parishes of Holkhana, Wells, Warham Wighton Egg mere, Wahrden, Quarles, Burhans, South Creake and Dunton, in all 20 principal farms, with 213 cottages and some small occupa- tions, principally in Wells, and the morn ing's drive has been arranged 50 that con- siderable portion of it in the first seven par ishes may be seen.
 The remainder of the estate consists of about 25, ,O00 acres, some of it at consider able distance, in eight separate blocks.
 Upon arriving at the railway station at Holkham the party will be in the middle of a range of grass marshes containing one to fifty acres which were enclosed from the sea by the Earl of Leicester and Sir Charles Turner in 1719; they are we'll supplied with water by strong springs from the high lands to the south of them.
 Crossing these marshes toward the seashore are the new marshes which were enclosed from the sea in 1857 and 1858, and after an inundation reinclosed in 1863. They are protected on the north side by natural sand hills and on the west and east by artificial banks 250 and 2,000 yards long respectively. The total cost of the embankments has been about e1S, ,000 and further sum of g26, ,000 has been spent in the twenty-six years i'll making roads, ditching, under-draining, levelling and fencing the land and coating the sand portions with clay. The total ex- tent is 704 acres, of which 46O acres IS now under grass and is raked to the Poor rake at e518 year; the remainder is still waste.
 There are no springs upon the land, but water is induced into the ditches from the old marshes toward the west end; and at the lower or east end, the outfall from the old marshes passes this enclosure and so out to sea with the
 
 three feet six inches in diameter, with door designed by MT. Hawkshaw into the channel of Wells harbor, which runs along the foot of the bank at this point.
 In addition to the drainage of the seven teen hundred acres of land, the overflow from the lake in the park, which is supplied by many strong springs and from an artesian well bored in 1870, which supplies the house, passes by this sluiee.
 Passing on to the quay at Wells and through the town 8 small part only of the Wells lands will be seen The whole com prises about fifteen hundred acres, and there are three farms of 507, 276 and BOA acres, nearly the whole of which has been purchas- ed during the last thirty years and gradually formed into farms. The house and home premises of the last named farm, built in 1881, will be passed on the way to Warham.
 The Warham estate comprises four farms, one of 937 acres (with 591 acres of salt marshes) 375 acres (with 456 acres of salt marshes), 534 acres and 606 acres. The lands of the second and last named farms join those of Wells, and extend to the will lage of Warham. Before reaching the will lage the house and home premises of the last mentioned farm will be passed, the premises being now in course of reconstruction.
 The village of Warham contains fifty cot tages more than forty years old and there are few belonging to other owners. In passing through the village the entrance to the first
  it that to the third on the left and an old encampment in the valley to the right.
 The Wighton estate now reached com prises four farms also, of 724, 584, 1,033 and 598 acres. The first will be passed before reaching the village, and the second lies en- tirely to the left of the route. The fourth was formed in 1870 of four smsll farms, to one of which water mill was attached, which was pulled down.
 The house and home premises are in the village, which comprises 40 cottages belong ing to the estate and several the property of small owners. The house was improved for the larger farm and the home premises near 1y all built new in 1870 and the farm relaid out; the homo now lies through the middle of it, passing the field barn and yards which were added to it at the same time, and an- other set of premises was also built more to the right with cart stable for the distant lands.
 Leaving this farm we pass through the middle of the fourth, which is farmed from one set of premises nearly in the center of the farm, which were repaired and added to in 1877.
 Within the circuit traversed is another farm of ,007 acres, which may be seen in the distance, the home and field premises of which were renewed in 1880. Diverging to the left block of five pairs of cottages is farm in 1878 and following years, four of concrete and the fifth of brick and the ordi- nary flint stones, and shortly after the Egg mere house and home premises were reach ed situate in the center of six hundred acres of the farm which contains altogether JOSS acres; they were almost entirely rebuilt in 1853 from the designs of MT. G. A. Dean.
 Leaving there and going through the farm, the field premises are passed towards the western end of the farr1 and driving on- wards for a short distance, between the Wa terden and Egmere farms, the old London entrance is reached at a distance of four miles from the house. The first position of it is through the Egmere plantations, which were re- planted about thirty years ago; then the Quarles estate, 590 acres which, after being on lease for more than 150 years, was pur- chased in 1880. It forms the boundary of the park on this side and immediately out side the park is the village of New Holkham, built in 1790, while inside the park to the left are the estate workshops built in 1854.
 Leaving this entrance road to the right a part of the home farm will be seen and the great barn premises, the principal premises of the home farm, and returning to it again the drive will be through the Obelisk Wood and Deer Park to the house After luncheon the visitors will be within easy distance of anything about the demesne which may specially interest any of them the house and grounds, kitchen gardens. church and monuments of the late Earl of Leicester-and the brickyard and new will lage now in course of erection but a short distance beyond them.
 Returning to Wells for the evening train it is proposed to drive by the Warham or eastern entrance, ,and by lengthening the drive somewhat over mile the route would be through the last named Warham farm hy the Field premises, which have been repaired and improved this year and are now nearly completed.
 Dr. H. Schafer says: "The results obtained in my use of Digestylin for indigestion and dyspepsia are most satisfactory"
 Sold by all Druggists. S1OO per bottle, or w. F.